


Wrong Number

by Digigal_transbian



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Diamond Authority - Freeform, Episode: s02e25 Message Received, Family Dynamics, Gen, Homeworld (Steven Universe), Homeworld Gems - Freeform, Homeworld Hierarchy (Steven Universe)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:55:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24916468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Digigal_transbian/pseuds/Digigal_transbian
Summary: Peridot dials the wrong Diamond.OrAn AU where Peridot calls White Diamond instead of Yellow Diamond by accident.
Relationships: Blue Diamond & Steven Universe & White Diamond & Yellow Diamond, Peridot & Steven Universe, Peridot & White Diamond (Steven Universe)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 84





	1. White Dial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot trips and dials White Diamond instead of Yellow Diamond.

"You don't understand," Peridot struggles to get out of Steven's grip, communicator in her outstretched hands, "I have to- woah!"

The Diamond Communicator in Peridot's hands twists as she falls over, bringing white to white. The green gem notices this and panics as the communicator floats up, chiming in the diamond song as it spins. 

White's chord sounds, an F#maj7, followed by Yellow's chord, a Bmaj7, followed by Blue's chord, an Emaj7, followed by Pink's chord, an Amaj7. Each chord plays a sound that reminds the gems of a distorted and synthetic string and harmonette. The chime continues, picking up its tempo as it continues.

White, Yellow, Blue, Pink. White, Yellow, Blue, Pink. White, Yellow, Blue, Pink. White, White.

As the final chord settles on White's, the device splits into a tall screen, showing only a single, unmoving Pearl. The Pearl is monochrome black and grey, with a large series of cracks where her left eye should be. Her hair sits in two neat spiraling buns on the side of her head. She stands with her arms spread wide in a salute only few gems dare use.

Peridot tenses even more as Steven is pulled behind some wreckage by Garnet, leaving her all alone to face the Grand Matriarch of Homeworld.

"This is the control room of the flawless White Diamond," The Pearl says in an unfamiliar voice, "What is the nature of this call?"

"P-peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG, there have been complications with my mission and I am requesting aid." The green gem says with a panicked stutter, "I was trying to call Yellow Diamond but one of the local organics caused me to accidentally dial White Diamond."

"Is that another Pearl?" Amethyst whispers as she asks, immediately followed by Steven asking, "Who is she?".

Pearl doesn't respond as her eyes are wide with fear, locked directly on the monochrome Pearl's broken eye. She never met her predecessor with Pink, but everything about the Pearl on the screen in front of them screams to her exactly who that Pearl used to be.

Pink Diamond's first Pearl, Pearl doesn't envy her in the slightest, not after her time with White.

"Pearl." The voice of the Pearl says gently from just out of view. The screen shifts after being grabbed by a glowing white hand with long black fingernails. The communicator pans upwards as the face of White Diamond comes into view, striking the gems with a wave of primal terror.

"Is that..?" Amethyst asks, her voice drifting off nervously.

"White Diamond..." Pearl and Garnet whisper in horrified unison.

"Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG was it?" The Diamond asks, her voice implying no emotions as her eyes quickly dart through a screen to her side, "How is the Earth?"

"It's," Peridot pauses carefully, "Full of life."

"Organic life," White Diamond rolls her eyes offhandedly, but not dismissively, "It says here that you're behind schedule. Where are the Jasper and Lapis Lazuli you were assigned with?"

"Fused into a Malachite, currently somewhere at the bottom of an ocean, My Diamond." Peridot replies quickly, snapping into the Diamond salute as she straightens up. There's no point in lying to White Diamond about where they are, White is the most knowledgable gem in the Empire, as well as the most powerful. If White Diamond wants to know something, you give her the information she's looking for.

"A Malachite fusion you say?" White Diamond raises a brow, "Such a shame, what caused the fusion to happen? I know for a fact that the organics on the surface wouldn't be that much of a threat to either of them. What happened to the ship?"

"Th-there are these gems, My Diamond," Peridot's stuttering continues slightly, "That have been corrupted into mindless beasts. They've been causing trouble all around the planet, the generator was breached and the ship was destroyed."

"Of course." White Diamond replies knowingly, "What is the status of the Cluster?"

"The Cluster is set to emerge shortly, Your Radiance."

"Mmm." The matriarch hums in response, "I'll pass your report along to Yellow, try not to dial the wrong Diamond again. Is that all?"

"No, My Diamond," Peridot gathers up any courage she has in her gem and continues, "I would like to request the termination of the Cluster project." She says, her quivering voice as firm as it can be.

"Why?" The Diamond asks, squinting her eyes in a daring challenge. Peridot flinches under her gaze, but quickly recovers.

"The organic ecosystem creates resources unique to this world. We can't sacrifice all that potential just for one geoweapon. I have a few plans of my own for how to make use of the local resources without disrupting the natural balance." Peridot explains.

"Oh, certainly." White Diamond responds flippantly, "I never saw the value of such an imperfect creation, if you can terminate the project yourself I will allow it. I'll have a team of Brookites decide the value of Earth's resources myself."

"I-I, thank you, Your Radiance." Peridot salutes.

"Of course," White Diamond waves, "You can tell the Crystal Gems behind you that they can come out now."

The Crystal Gems stiffen at being directly addressed. Amethyst looks at White Diamond, a familiarity stirring in her gem. Something deep inside her resonates with the matriarch, like she was made for her.

"Come on out now, don't be shy." White Diamond coaxes.

Steven and the Gems do as they're told, as to not incur the wrath of White Diamond anymore than they have by existing.

"Oh, so that's where my Deep Cut Amethyst has been all this time." White Diamond says as she examines Amethyst, before the Matriarch turns her eyes to Pearl, "And Pink's Pearl, how pleasant to see you again."

Amethyst and Pearl tense up, the gems sending a confused look to Pearl. Amethyst questions what White means by 'deep cut' mentally, the same nickname Bismuth gave her.

"Ah, and the fusion of the Ruby and Sapphire that disrupted Blue's court at the Sky Arena." White says, her diamond pupils boring directly into Garnet's form. "What a pleasant surprise, you're doing well, I assume?"

"Hello, Starlight." White Diamond's grin is filled with a slight mania as her attention is turned to Steven.

"Uh, hi?" Steven replies, unsure of what's going to happen.

"You certainly gave everyone a scare. They'll all be thrilled to have you back safe and sound." White Diamond continues on, ignoring how the other gems take a step back at her tone, "As for this latest little game of yours, thank the stars it's over. Did you have fun? Did you get everything out of your system?"

"I-" Steven tries to say, but is cut off by the Diamond.

"Good, good. Everyone will be so relieved. We'll bring you home soon, Pink."

"What?" Steven asks, completely lost.

"Peridot, remove the human's gem." White Diamond says, her motherly authority rich in her voice.

Steven and the Gems stiffen as Peridot rigidly nods and goes to remove the gem. Peridot obeys on the sheer instinct of 'don't get disobey White Diamond or else you'll be shattered' that is programmed in every gem made during Era Two. Some gems have fought the programming and won, saying that it wasn't very difficult, but Peridot is not brave enough to try while the Diamond is literally watching her. The minds of the Crystal Gems run at millions of miles an hour, but their bodies are frozen in place. The primal terror of White Diamond's orders flows through their gems, endless streams of terrified thoughts pouring through each gem as they try to force themselves to move, but to no avail. With an apology and a bit of pulling, Peridot manages to separate the gem from the human, revealing a perfectly cut Pink Diamond.

"Welcome back, Pink." White Diamond saccharinely coos to the pink gem in Peridot's hand.

The Diamond in Peridot's hand glows as it floats up, taking the shape of Pink Diamond, before shifting to Rose Quartz, before finally shifting back to Steven. Behind the group, Garnet unfuses from shock.

The pink Steven looks directly at White, emotion nowhere to be seen in his eyes.

"What's going on? Where is Pink?" White Diamond demands.

"She's gone." Pink Steven says flatly.

"What did you say?" White Diamond asks desperately, anger in her voice, "Answer me!"

"She's gone!" Pink Steven yells, holding back his power so that he doesn't hurt his human half.

Pink Steven picks up and embraces his human half as they glow, fusing back into Steven.

"I'm coming over, I want answers and I want them immediately." White Diamond says, unreadable emotion in her voice before she cuts the communicator feed.

Sapphire is the first one to speak after the call ends and the communicator drops down gently.

"We need to talk."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Diamond Ringtone seems to be: WYBP WYBPWYBPWYBP WX(replace the X with whatever Diamond you're trying to reach.)


	2. Storytime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> White Diamond goes to the Zoo.
> 
> Meanwhile, the Crystal Gems panic about Peridot's misdial.

Log Date 7 14 2.

News spreads fast among the gem empire.

Ever since the gem war, White Diamond's ship has always been more akin to an unmoving statue, never moving from its place once. 

Era Two gems commonly referred to the ship as the White Palace, given that White Diamond never left her ship. If a gem had any business with her personally, they would either have to call or go to her themselves. However, most gems would have to go to other sources in place of contacting the flawless matriarch. Not even Yellow or Blue Diamond could get an audience with her, much less her own court.

Her actual palace remained untouched for centuries before a team of gems was assigned to maintain it in her absence. On rare occasions, Blue Diamond would walk the halls in remembrance of an era long since passed.

The White Diamond ship remained on its pedestal for aeons, an unmoving reminder to the supreme and unbending authority of the Diamonds.

On this day, for the first time in six thousand years, White Diamond's ship moves.

The whole empire turns their eyes towards their grand matriarch in wonder. Gems across the connected empire focus all of their attention on the Grand Matriarch of their Homeworld, watching intently as the old ship whirs to life once more. The sudden activity even catches Yellow Diamond's attention halfway across the galaxy. A single thought crosses through everyone's minds as her ship floats into the atmosphere before vanishing in a twinkling gravity jump.

What could she possibly be doing after all this time?

☆◇☆

The first stop White Diamond makes is Pink's human zoo.

Blue Diamond owns the station nowadays, including most of Pink's old court. Most of the gems on the station are Pink's Quartzes, including every single Rose Quartz ever made. The Rose Quartzes were bubbled immediately after Pink's "Shattering", with every bubble being kept in a private room, most frequented by Blue Diamond. A Holly Blue Agate was put in charge of the station as a whole, keeping the Quartzes in line and the Peridots on track.

As it would happen, Blue Diamond was already at the Zoo Station when White arrived, mourning in the Rose Quartz bubble room.

Holly Blue Agate greets the glowing matriarch with a squad of Amethysts as she arrives, each gem bowing and performing the Diamond salute.

"My Radiant Diamond, what a pleasant surprise!" Holly Blue Agate does the standard diamond salute, bowing while faced with the eldest Diamond, "Might I be so bold as to inquire why you have graced us with your splendorous presence?"

"I'm here on personal research concerning humans, as well as to inform every gem here that once belonged to Pink Diamond that they are to wear the pink insignia once more." White Diamond responds, "Send one of the lead Peridots to the Rose Quartz bubble room to meet me."

"Of course, My Diamond." Holly Blue nods, "I hope your visit finds you well, Your Radiance."

White Diamond nods as she begins the walk with her Pearl towards the bubble room, taking in the sight of the pink halls. The last time she was here, it was when she gave Pink the station in hopes that it would curb her desires to spare the Earth. A sad frown appears on her face as she walks past a mural to Pink Diamond, one of the many on the station.

The mural depicts Pink Diamond's emergence, one of the few times every Diamond was depicted with a smile. In most murals, the facial details are deemed unnecessary and left out for artistic purposes. White remembers the day like it was yesterday.

They had just found a suitable planet, one overflowing with carbon, and they knew they wanted another Diamond for their ranks.

The incubation process was a stressful one. For centuries they waited for their Red Diamond to emerge, the simulations had shown with absolute certainty the color would be red. The planet's active plate tectonics shifted the pressure applied to the Diamond, however, and the color changed from red to pink.

The Peridot in charge of the process still hasn't lived it down. She likely never will, gems still tease her about mixing up her reds and pinks.

In the end, Pink came out a little smaller than she should have, but her gem was in acceptable parameters. Her purpose was to bring changes to the empire that would make the gems more happy, more productive, while still residing in the confines of acceptability in the perfect empire.

Needless to say, Pink never lived up to Red's purpose.

White barely registered entering the bubble room, she only really became aware of where she was when Blue called her name.

"White!" Blue happily calls, her form lighting up as her stance is filled with more joy than she's had in years, "It's such a pleasure to finally see you out of your ship, how are you?" The look in the diplomatic matriarch's eyes is filled with hope, joy, excitement, and love. The sight of White Diamond in front of her at Pink's zoo is something Blue never would have imagined happening, especially not after White isolated herself after Pink's shattering.

"I'm fine, Blue." White passively responds, "We have something to talk about. Yellow's on her way here, so let's wait until then for it, shall we? It's been much too long since we were together like this last."

"Of course, White." Blue smiles gently.

White pulls one of the Rose Quartz bubbles down and gazes sadly at the gem inside. Silence stretches between the two Diamonds as they both gaze at the thousands of bubbles against the ceiling of the room. The sight fills White with a painful familiarity as her mind wanders down a now abandoned hallway in her palace, one not even Yellow or Blue have been in in their entire existences.

"I miss her, Moonlight." White says out of nowhere. "Pink was always such a delight, so lively and full of love."

"It's such a shame what that blasted Rose Quartz did to her." Blue agrees.

"Mmm, a shame indeed." White hums noncommittally.

The two lapse into a comfortable silence afterwards, Blue just being happy to see White out of her ship for the first time in aeons. White was so reclusive after Pink's shattering, it felt like they lost two Diamonds instead of just Pink.

Yellow Diamond and the requested Peridot arrive in the room at the same time minutes later.

"White!" Yellow Diamond grins while the Peridot salutes and says, "Your Radiance!"

Yellow's Pearl moves to stand next to White's and Blue's, not once budging from their stiff poses. The presence of White's unmoving Pearl fills the other two Pearl's with a deep sinking dread, but also fills them with a sense of wholeness. It's been too long since the three of them were last together like this.

The Peridot considers herself the luckiest Peridot in existence for being able to be in the presence of the three Diamonds at the same time, especially since White hasn't left her ship in ages.

"Peridot," White Diamond addresses first, causing the gem in question to blush a forest green and straighten up, "I want a copy of every file on this station that pertains to humans sent to my ship. Pink found these organics so fascinating, I believe it's time I tried to see what she saw all those years ago."

"Of course, My Radiant Diamond!" The Peridot excited responds. A mission, directly from White Diamond herself! Most gems in her court barely receive direct orders from the matriarch, and this Peridot isn't even in her court. And to be addressed before Yellow Diamond, oh how the green gem is filled with awe at that. The Peridot gleefully bows in grateful respect of the Diamond. 

"That will be all, if you need access to my ship, my Pearl will assist you upon request." White Diamond dismisses before turning her motherly gaze to Yellow, "Hello, Sunlight."

"Pleasure to see you again." Yellow nods pleasantly, "The gemnet is running rampant with news of your sudden departure. I would have thought it was a widespread mainframe issue if it wasn't for me passing your ship on the way back to Homeworld."

"Of course it is, you know how the lower gems love their gossip." White smiles an honest smile, "It's a pleasure to be with you again. Apologies for my absence in recent times, Pink's loss hurt us all greatly and we all handled the pain differently. I am proud of both of you for how you handled the situation, the empire is in as good of a condition as it can be thanks to you two."

"What spurred you on to finally leave Homeworld?" The general asks, a happy tear forming in her eye before she brushes it away, trying to hold herself together. Blue is outright crying in joy at the praise and how open White is being.

"A message brought up old feelings and memories and I felt it would be best to visit some of Pink's treasures again." White explains, "Pink reminds me of something I have put off for millenia. Care for a history lesson from an old gem, Yellow, Blue? If any other gems wish to listen in, let them. It's time I told you about the history before Yellow emerged."

White turns to leave, with Yellow and Blue following right behind her. White Diamond leads them in the direction of the human enclosure, each slow step resonating through the halls. The Pearls follow beside their Diamonds, each one's attention locked firmly on White. Aside from the Diamonds' resonating footsteps, the walk is quiet. White's Pearl sends a message to the station that White will be giving a history lesson from before Era One, with the position locked to the Diamond herself.

They arrive at the enclosure soon enough. White pulls a bubble up around the six of them and they phase through the wall, catching the attention of every human and Quartz inside.

White sits down in the human enclosure with her fellow Diamonds at her side. After a few moments, the remaining Quartzes start filing in and take a seat nearby where the humans are, the station's Peridots scattering themselves throughout. Not long later, every gem in the station was in the enclosure, patiently waiting to hear White's story. White moves her hand down towards one of the humans and Amethysts sitting next to her and gently scratches their heads.

"Once upon a time," White begins her story, "There was nothing. The surface of Homeworld was a barren wasteland, devoid of any life of any kind. Homeworld was a beautiful planet, the skies tinted pink by the helium in the atmosphere. Spires of basalt jutting into the sky, oceans of liquid water that would sparkle against the neverending stellar light stretching around the planet chaotically."

"One day, the planet was tired of not being seen." White continues, "For all of its beauty, there was no one to observe it. So with the resources it had in two of the greatest mountains, the first two gems began to form."

Everyone present leans in in anticipation of what comes next.

"A thousand years later, they emerged. Those two gems would come to know themselves as White Diamond," White pauses, a sad smile dawning her face, "And Black Diamond."

The present gems are filled with a wave of shock and confusion. Black Diamond? How could something so important go so unknown for so long?

"Black and White Diamond were very different gems." White's story moves on, ignoring the shock of the other gems, "White Diamond cared more for perfection, everything having a perfect order and staying as such, while Black Diamond cared more for the natural impulses he was so stricken with."

"Our first Diamond Empire began with mere pebbles, but soon, they weren't enough. We needed larger structures, so we created the first Bismuths to build our cities. We wanted our cities to be better, of a higher quality, so we created the first Peridots to aid the Bismuth's in their work." White explains, life coming back to her voice as she glows, "We discovered that if we could carve the land we could access better resources and more stable foundations for the Bismuths and Peridots to work, so we created the first Lapis Lazuli. We made Beryls to manage and organize the lower gems, made Quartzes to be strong and help the builders, Corrundum to see through time and help us all move into a bigger and brighter future."

"One day, everything changed. Our methods came into conflict, as the Sapphires predicted they would." White recalls with a sad grimace, "Truth be told, we didn't need Sapphires to know that our methods would conflict, but the confirmation made us confront the issue, rather than leaving the issue unspoken."

"He wanted gems to be made for a purpose, but ultimately the masters of their own fates. I wanted gems to stay to their purpose, maximum efficiency and every action with a cause." She continues on, "We argued about this for years. Eventually, the conflicts grew. Before the conflicts extended into our gems, we came to the agreement that our empires would never work as one, and it would be better if he took his gems and started his own empire, away from mine. He took his gems and his ship and left for the Maffei Galactic Cluster. The two empires have had no contact since."

"Pink brought out many unpleasant memories for me." White admits, "She always reminded me of Black, but maybe she was exactly what we needed. We took her for granted, and now she's gone."

"When Rose Quartz shattered her, that must have been devastating even more for you than it was for her court. We all loved her, but what could compare to the love of a Diamond for another Diamond?" An Amethyst, 8XJ, says suddenly.

"It is correct to say that, as of six thousand years ago, Pink Diamond is no more." White nods, "It is also correct to say that as of fourteen years ago, Rose Quartz is no more. But to say that she was shattered is simply false, Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond were the same, after all."

"WHAT?!" Everyone, aside from White and her Pearl, exclaims.

"I do not have all the details, but I know this to be true." White Diamond continues on, "A simple rotation of the gem eluded us for so long. Seeing her child on the communicator, I could see Pink's light shining through. I never once saw Rose Quartz, as for so long the issue was beneath me. I never was able to see Pink's light in the Rose Quartz that dissipated her form, given that I never saw her."

"The communicator?" Yellow Diamond asks.

"One of your Peridots was trying to call you, Yellow." White explains, "Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG to be specific, the one you sent with Jasper and Lazuli to check on the Cluster. Crystal Gems destroyed the ship, Jasper and Lazuli are stuck in a fusion as a Malachite, and the Peridot requested that the Cluster project be terminated. I granted Peridot's request on the grounds that she terminated the project herself." 

She shrugs, "I would deal with them myself but since Pink is still around in some capacity, I might as well reassign her gems to her. I can't make up for the mistakes I've made with Pink, but her child is a second chance we would be fools to ignore. Which brings me to my next point."

"Every gem on this station is returning to the Pink Diamond court, effective immediately."

☆◇☆

Meanwhile, on Earth, the Crystal Gems are panicking at White Diamond's plans for arrival.

"That Pearl," Peridot mutters to herself in fear, "That pose…"

"What's so special about the pose she was in?" Steven asks, somewhat shaken from having his gem removed, while also feeling the lingering fear of White Diamond. He doesn't know much about the Diamond, but from one conversation he could tell that she was not to be messed with.

"Steven," Peridot explains, "Only few gems ever hold the Grand Radiance pose, and every single one of them is high ranking in White Diamond's court. Yellow Diamond's court has the Great Luminance, Blue Diamond's has the Great Brilliance, and Pink Diamond used to have the Great Lusterance salute. All of them are forms of ultimate respect to each individual Diamond. For a Pearl to be holding the Grand Radiance means that she might even outrank Yellow and Blue Diamond."

"And that's..?" Amethyst asks, drifting off. The names sound vaguely familiar, a part of her programming that has laid dormant since she emerged, but she doesn't know what any of it means.

"Steven, Amethyst," Peridot grabs the boy by the shoulders, "That Pearl could order us all shattered for contacting White Diamond personally and there's slag all we could do about it."

"So, really bad." Amethyst replies.

"Yes, really bad!" Peridot exclaims, "That was the personal Pearl of White Diamond, the highest authority in the whole empire! Rumors say that that particular Pearl used to belong to Pink Diamond, before White made an example of her behavior."

"And now we have the personal attention of her owner and White Diamond is on her way here as we speak." Sapphire cuts in, her voice flat with emotion.

Ice forms around Sapphire, the temperature dropping dramatically. The only ground not covered in a layer of frost and ice is directly under Ruby, who takes a few steps back at Sapphire's cold emanating fury.

"It was inevitable." The blue gem says, her voice flat and cold, "Peridot was always going to attempt to call a Diamond. However, the fact remains that Peridot called White Diamond, accident or not, and now she is coming to Earth."

"Sorry," The green gem meekly apologizes, "I thought that I could reason with the Diamonds, get them to call off the Cluster project. Good news is that it worked! But the bad news is we have to do it ourselves."

"Also," Amethyst butts in, "Am I the only one that saw what happened with Steven's gem? The fact that, I dunno, his mom was never a Rose Quartz to begin with and she was actually Pink Diamond, the bad guy, all this time?"

"Pearl." Sapphire's gaze moves to the white gem and sends shivers through her form, "You have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know."

And so, Pearl began her story of love, betrayal, pain, and growth. She tells of how the other Diamonds never listened, how Pink was always miserable until she was given the Earth. She tells of how even the colonization of Earth grew boring, so one day she decided to visit the planet herself. When Pink visited, disguised as a Rose Quartz, she saw the beauty of Earth and wanted to protect it. Pearl describes the day Rose met Garnet as the day the Crystal Gems formed, to truly fight for the freedom of gems instead of just the planet. Ever since that day, Rose followed Garnet. She tells of Pink's final order, now broken by White, that she could never speak of Rose being Pink.

The gems lapse intonation silence as they think about what Pearl said. Silence permeates the area around the barn as no one knows what to say. Eventually, after several minutes, Amethyst speaks up.

"So, what now?" Amethyst asks.

"Now," Sapphire starts, "We prepare."

☆◇☆

Far, far away from Earth, a lone Spinel stands in a broken down and decaying garden.

The pink gem has stood there waiting for six thousand years for a gem that would never come back. Her eyes widen and snap up as the upper half of the full Diamond ship approaches the garden, settling down gently in the distance. She watches as White Diamond approaches her, getting on a knee with a hand outstretched towards her.

"Come now, Pink's Little Treasure," White Diamond calls, "We have much to explain to you."


	3. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Diamonds arrive on the Earth with a gift for Pink.

Log Date 7 15 2.

The upper half of the combined Diamond ship arrives near the Earth.

Inside the white head of the ship, the three Diamonds stand together, looking down at the planet below with pain in their eyes.

"Pearl," White Diamond starts, "If the gems on the surface haven't dealt with the Cluster yet, you are to aid them in terminating the project when we arrive."

"Certainly, my Diamond." White Pearl intones.

Silence fills the main control chamber of White Diamond's ship.

"It's a beautiful little planet." Blue says quietly, "Such a colorful and lively little ball for a lively little Diamond."

"She chose this planet over us." White remarks sadly, "She chose her colony over her fellow Diamonds, and it is entirely our fault."

The three Diamonds sit in perfect silence as the truth behind White's words sinks in. Pink chose a planet over her own kind. She went to war because of how they treated her.

Spinel looks at the planet sadly. The planet Pink fought so hard to get, the planet Pink left her for, the planet Pink died on. An uncomfortable swell of emotions simmers in her gem, unbeknownst to the others.

"My Diamond, we found the fusion the Peridot mentioned. She is underwater near a small island." White's Pearl says from her console.

"I'll set us down nearby." White Diamond acknowledges with a nod, "It's time we fixed things with Pink."

"Of course, my Diamond."

☆◇☆

Malachite surfaces on the coast of Mask Island, only to be greeted with a large shadow looming over her. Her chains of water tighten as Jasper tries to take control, but Lapis still has her grips on the situation. The fusion of hate turns around slowly as an uneasiness settles into her gems. When she is turned around fully, she spots White Diamond standing the the blue palm of the combined ship, looking down at the fusion with an unreadable look in her eyes.

"My Diamond!" The fusion snaps into a perfect Diamond salute. White Diamond silently raises a hand towards the fusion as she takes in the sight around her.

Blue-green water surrounds the island, a mountain covered in native crystals sticking out of the center, catching and reflecting bits of the sun's light through the latticework. A waterfall flows from the highest cave in the mountain, supplying some water to the native fauna. White sandy beaches surround the island on all sides and when compared to the nearby scenery, Malachite fits right in.

On the island proper, White can spot little Watermelon Stevens, all looking at her curiously. The sight of such small life from Pink's light tugs her black lips into a small, tired smile. She lowers her hands back to the comfortable position of the Great Luminance with her hands cupped in the shape of a diamond in front of her belly, thumbs pointed up towards her gem, the highest form of respect in Yellow's court. It shows the reason for her presence with a single position, she wants a respectable conversation, nothing more, nothing less.

Malachite hunches over, her arms snapping into a Grand Radiance with her arms spread wide and her palms facing upwards, showing her loyalty and willingness to comply. Her four eyes are wide with nervous panic as she looks at White Diamond's gaze.

"A lovely little island, is it not?" White Diamond says casually, "What a quaint little place, teeming with life all of its own."

"It is." Malachite responds tensely, arms not moving from her highest salute.

"The organics of this world are so small, it's a wonder they can get anything done in the first place." White continues, "This is the same planet that Pink departed from us on, and yet it does hold some beauty in its lands."

"My Diamond loved this colony." Malachite responds simply, "She loved all of it."

"Only one of your components served Pink, Malachite." White's diamond shaped pupils focus in on the fusion, "The Lapis Lazuli was a member of Blue's court."

"She is, but my loyalties will always belong to Pink Diamond first."

"I see," White Diamond replies, "If you could wear the Pink insignia again, I assume you would do so eagerly, even if Pink is much different from the one you remember?"

"I would." Malachite answers honestly.

"If you would wear the insignia again, then do so." White Diamond says simply, "Pink's court is returning to her, if the Lapis Lazuli component of yours wishes to serve Pink Diamond, she is welcome to do so."

"Pink Diamond was shattered!" Malachite yells, not believing the Diamond for a minute.

"She faked her shattering because of how her fellow Diamonds treated her." White explains, "Pink Diamond was Rose Quartz, and Rose Quartz had a child with an organic. That child bears the Pink Diamond."

"Steven…" Malachite whispers in realization.

"Oh, you've met the child then?"

"Rose is a traitor to Homeworld!" Malachite says in lieu of an answer.

"Tell me, Jasper," White Diamond says, her diamond shaped pupils locked with Malachite's lower set of eyes, "Don't you want to be with your facet again? To serve the Diamond you were made to serve? Pink's child, Steven, is a chance for things to return to how they should be, as well as a chance for change to be made."

Malachite stays silent as she looks at her palm. The ability to go back to her facet? It's been so long since Jasper was last with them, do they even remember her? When Pink was shattered, most of her gems went to Blue Diamond, but not Jasper. Jasper was the only one of Pink's gems to be taken by Yellow Diamond. Lapis Lazuli loosens the chains enough to unfuse if necessary, keeping a careful eye on her surroundings.

White Diamond extends a hand to the fusion, "Pink may be gone, but her legacy and her gem remain. I'm sure the new Pink will gladly accept you into her court. So tell me, Malachite, will you return to your Diamond?"

Malachite stands there, her eyes filled with a deep reminiscence. Slowly, but surely, the fusion raises her head to look White Diamond in the eyes. A single flash of light bursts near their abdomen as the Yellow Diamond returns to its rightful pink color.

"I will."

☆◇☆

After Pearl's explanation, work continued at the barn on the drill. Ruby and Peridot work in tandem, Ruby occasionally helping with any welding while Amethyst and Steven move parts to and from the barn.

"Stars, now we have the Cluster, Malachite, and White Diamond to take care of!" Pearl exclaims exhaustedly, standing on the side with Sapphire, "Do you think Sugilite would be fine to deal with Malachite?"

"I'm not certain." Sapphire explains, "Rubelite definitely wouldn't stack up well against Malachite, so Sugilite should be enough, but that leaves you, Peridot, and Steven to handle the Cluster and the Diamonds. Assuming it will take two gems to handle the Cluster, that only leaves one gem to handle the Diamonds."

"Who should go to the Cluster?" Pearl asks, sitting down next to the oracle.

"Peridot will always go, but without Steven, the Cluster will emerge."

"Which leaves me to handle White Diamond."

"Yes."

As if on cue, the head of the combined Diamond ship peeks out from over the horizon, Malachite standing in the yellow hand. The gems tense up and ready their weapons, Peridot brandishing a wrench like a weapon while the ground around Sapphire immediately flash freezes.

Malachite separates, Jasper kneeling in a perfect Great Lusterance position with her left palm to the sky and above her head. Lapis stands to Jasper's side in a steady Great Brilliance position, her hands facing away from her body and her elbows down by her sides.

"Clod slag it." Pearl and Sapphire say in unison.

Jasper and Lapis step off the hand of the ship and stand in front of the Crystal Gems. The Diamonds emerge from their ship in a white bubble that phases through the ship like it doesn't exist with Spinel.

"White…" Ruby whispers in fear.

Blue Diamond gives Ruby and Sapphire a look of recognition while Yellow looks like she would rather be anywhere else. White Diamond stands out like a sore thumb, the ancient monarch standing like a silent queen above her subjects.

Pearl blanches at the sight of Spinel. Spinel shoots Pearl a dirty look that no one else notices. The look promises a conversation later that neither will like.

White Diamond's eyes land on Steven, taking in his comparatively tiny form. Steven tenses under her gaze. The matriarch shifts her gaze to Peridot.

"Don't you have a Cluster to take care of, Peridot?" White squints her eyes at the green gem.

Peridot stiffens at being directly addressed by the highest matriarch in the empire, in person no less. She grabs Steven and bolts for the drill, White's Pearl following behind in a bubble.

The three gems get comfortable inside the drill as Peridot performs final checks. Once she confirms the all clear, they set off towards the bowels of the Earth to stop the Cluster.

☆◇☆

Two hours of drilling later, as well as the fun fact that they drilled through molten peridotite on the way down, the same stuff that Peridot is made of, and the drill reaches the Cluster's cavern.

The gargantuan mass is hauntingly beautiful. A veritable rainbow of shards collected into a giant sphere, light glinting and mixing in every direction off of the gem. The cavern seems to glow a geodic rainbow, shards like mad fractals dancing in pale light.

"This is it, the Cluster." Peridot says with terror tightly gripping her voice.

"Woah." Steven whispers in biblical awe.

Suddenly the entire mass of the Cluster glows, ghostly apparitions funneling themselves towards where the drill broke through.

"M...u...s...t… f...o...r...m…" The disonantly cacophonous voices of the Cluster moan in unison directly to Steven's gem, unheard to everyone else, "M…u...s...t… b…e… w...h...o...l...e…"

"Oh this is bad." Steven mutters quietly.

"No schist, we're all about to die if we don't do something!" Peridot yells, panic flooding her voice. White's Pearl looks between them with a discomfort on her face, but ultimately says nothing. There's nothing she can do about the Cluster yet, not with it so active, going outside now would be a death wish. The eye beam doesn't work through glass, so she can't just force it to emerge in a specific way.

The pained wailing of the shards souls pierces through Steven like knives through butter. The rumbling of the cavern slowly, but surely, lures Steven into an uncomfortable comfort as his gem starts to create a pink aura. He starts to hyperventilate as the wailing of the Cluster overtakes his hearing and the pain in his gem spreads through his whole body.

Steven blacks out from the sensory overload in under a minute.

☆◇☆

Steven opens his eyes to a pitch black void, whispering all around him.

"Want to…" Some of the shards whisper as they float past him.

"You, want to?" Steven asks, "Want to what?"

"Form!"

"Maybe, instead of forming, you could do something else?"

"Need form!" The shards inside the Cluster tell in unison, "To be whole."

"But, if you want to find other gems, there are so many of you right here! Look," Steven floats a yellow shard to a red one, "Shard, meet shard! See, you already have a lot in common!"

The lights in the Cluster calm, before glowing more calmly as the shards communicate with each other.

"Can't stop!" The Cluster struggles, "Going to form!"

"It's okay, if I just bubble you, you won't have to come out!" Steven says as he bubbles shards left and right, as many as he possibly can before stopping and looking at the remaining ones around him, "Oh boy…"

The blinding light inside the Cluster grows brighter, slowly shrinking into the distance.

Steven wakes up with a jolt.

"It doesn't wanna form!" He exclaims.

"What?!" Peridot asks.

"We gotta put it in a bubble!"

"Bubble that?! There's no way!"

Slowly, small bubbles appear around the surface of the Cluster. One by one, more bubbles appear.

"They're bubbling each other!" Steven realizes as he puts his hands on the floor of the drill, forming his own bubble around some of the shards at the very center of the Cluster as he encourages the massive gem to keep going.

In a single final push, all the bubbles combine and fully surround the Cluster.

The gems in the drill freeze in shock at the sight of the bubbled Cluster, White's Pearl donning an approving smile before phasing through the drill to the outside. She raises her hands like a puppet master as her one working eye glows like the sun in the cavern. Slowly, white lines wrap around the bubble like a spider ensnaring their prey, before the new bubble solidifies into an opaque white color. With a grand gesture, White Pearl pulls the bubble slowly towards the surface, drill and all.

☆◇☆

"We should take a few steps away from here." White Diamond says out of nowhere, breaking the tense silence.

"Why?" Ruby asks suspiciously.

"The Cluster is very large." White says simply, bending over and picking the gems on the ground up in her giant hands, "Blue, if you could move the ship?"

"Of course."

Yellow is already standing at the minimum safe distance for the emergence, staring at the ground blankly. White crosses the distance in a few short strides. Inside the ship, Blue stands on White's pedestal with a giggle as the upper portion of her body is encased in a white glow. Stretching her chest slightly, the ship rises from the Earth and floats to behind her fellow Diamonds.

Like Poseidon emerging from the deep, the white bubble phases through the Earth. Slowly, it rises, giving the gems the chance to properly see what they were going to try and stop from forming.

The bubble rapidly fades away in a sparkling white sheen, and the gems take in the sheer size of the abomination against gemkind that Yellow Diamond constructed. Ruby and Sapphire shoot death glares at Yellow, as if trying to shatter the matriarch with just their looks alone. Yellow Diamond looks at her creation neutrally, expression betraying no emotion. Blue Diamond sheds a few tears for the fallen gems inside the monstrosity.

The drill slides off the iridescent bubble, landing with a thud on the ground in front of the Diamonds. White's Pearl stands gracefully on top of the machine, hopping of and delicately taking her place next to her Diamond. The escape hatch of the drill opens, Peridot and Steven spilling out of it.

"Please tell me we never have to do that again…" Peridot groans.

"Ughhhh…" Steven nods in agreement.

"Welcome back, Stardust." White Diamond greets Steven as she places the gems in her hand back on the ground, "We have much to discuss."

"Okay?" Steven dazedly acknowledges.

"I am reinstating the Pink Diamond court to your rule, and allowing you to rule it as you see fit within some standards. Off colors and fusions will be sent to your court by default for you to figure out what to do with." White Diamond informs Steven and his gems, "This system of planets, as well as the Trappist System, are under your reign to do as you please with. Bear in mind that you need somewhere for your court to meet. Pre-existing structures on this planet will be repaired, with the choice of further construction falling to you."

A sudden idea strikes White, one that would take care of both reintegrations, assuming he shows up that is. She wouldn't blame him if he ignored her request, they haven't spoken since Epoch 1.

"Oh, we'll have to go to Homeworld for a ball, we simply must celebrate your return as a Diamond to all of the empire! We'll make it a grand event!" White claps her hands together with an appropriately excited smile.

"Can I bring my dad?"

"Of course, Stardust!" White agrees, "The Epoch 3 ball is going to be a marvelous event that will go down in the history of the empire as the turning point before a grand revolution! Bring whoever you would like to, dear."

"Epoch?" Peridot asks, the term unfamiliar to her.

"My Diamond knows what she said, Peridot." White's Pearl says from behind the green gem, causing her to jump.

☆◇☆

"So you will come?"

"I will."

"It's been far too long since we last met. I'll return your gems and the Epoch 1 gems to you there."

"Of course, this is a new epoch of gemkind. And besides, you haven't spoken with me in ages, White. I would be cruel to deny your request. I will make an appearance with my Diamonds. The Epoch 3 ball will be a grand event, the presence of every Diamond should be remembered for generations to come."

"How many will we need to account for?"

"Six. Myself, Red, Violet, Champagne, Olive, and Teal. The insignia is being sent through now for the order."

"Of course. I'll see you then, Black."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: The Epoch 3 Ball, featuring White's court and a grand total of 10 Diamonds, and Steven adjusting to the Diamond Life!

**Author's Note:**

> I am working on "A Peach Sapphire", it's just that I'm working on the remaining 3 chapters at the same time, as well as a few other projects as I get inspired to do them.
> 
> Now that I'm feeling some writing momentum again, hopefully I'll be able to start putting out more stuff soon.


End file.
